If this lineup strikes your fancy the way it did ours, whether it has managed to elude your radar thus far or has been a priority since its announcement, then allow us to break down everything that truly is Winter Sermon 2017. It would be a shame to even let a single, savory detail of this event’s delicatessen arrangement slip by.

The perks and points of intrigue for patrons of Sermongatherings extend well beyond just their lineups. Yet, while many events seem to find a need for plastering promotional graphics with excessive information, the conservative attitude of the Winter Sermon 2017 graphic actually speaks volumes through its bare basics approach.

First and foremeost, the nature of Sermon’s venue certainly plays a role here, and in more than one way. Veterans of the underground electronic/dance scene might laugh at my willingness to explain this to younger readers, but the reality is that the number of “secret” warehouse events such as this has diminished greatly in the past few years. New York is a significantly larger city than that which we call home; but, it seems doubtful this phenomenon is unique to Philadelphia. A decrease of such events, has however, seemingly not had an effect on the brimming desire from patrons. Instead, this maintained interest has resulted in a magnanimous number of fans being forced to choose from what is steadily decreasing list of events.

In a way, this has opened a greater window of opportunity for events such as Sermon, who are able to execute their operation with efficiency and maintained safety of its patrons. We certainly try to keep our finger on the pulse here at Funkadelphia (let’s be real: if we didn’t have some legitimate awareness, would we really still even be here?), and the reality is Sermon somewhat speaks for itself. The recurring event series has remained alive and well due to its staff’s dedication to curating a spectacular event in all possible aspect, all while never over-extending its potential. Any electronic music fan,, who has spent at least several years investigating the community, knows that these are the best type of events.

Sure, those events advertised across massive lineups and bombardments of flashy informational surpluses were fun at a time; but at some point, a uniform realization that the all-around excessive nature of such events can lead to compromise in creation of their communities. Those not chasing a trend, but a legitimate passion, will all eventually reach a point of desiring to belong to something, and hopefully, may even get involved with the cause in one way or another. Sermon is a particularly exceptional example of an event instilling not only a encompassing sense of community, but one that seeks to instill a desire for, and even lend teachings toward, finding a place of rightful contribution.

Beyond that, what we see here in experience is plenty enticing, especially for listeners maintaining a frequent and steady awareness of electronic music’s rapidly progressing state. From relevant artists, down to hearing favorite tracks, as well as jaw-dropping new discoveries on the most proper sound system possible, and then backing it all up with a cohesive, yet decisive experience. Does Sermon meet these guidelines? Check, check, and check.

Granted, the gathering focuses on a somewhat specific niche of bass music, but for those fans of this specific sub-genre, each and every target imaginable is hit. Starting with the lineup, Sermon, does not even boast its most enticing elements on its poster, avoiding the dull blatancy many events have succumbed to. Take the headliner for this specific evening into consideration: Guccimen. To an outsider just being introduced to the event or its taste in music, this might be a totally unknown act. Afterall, it was still just less than a month ago that the duo released their debut EP. –

What the Sermon graphic, intentionally, does not advertise is those individual artists of which the group is comprised: former native of Philadelphia (and New York) and king of future, Space Jesus;along with the equally renowned, Oakland-based glitch-freak Freddy Todd. Compared to the Guccimen project, which is still very much in its infancy, both solo projects share in attributes of followings more significant in number and established in their timelines. Mention of this appearance to be Guccimen’s debut performance is glazed over in the graphic.

For regular followers of our network, the majority of artists featured on this year’s Winter Sermon lineup are hopefully already on your radars, altogether have seen Funkadelphia affiliation through a diversity of encounters, including artist interviews, exclusive releases, and of course, numerous events.

This leaves just one remaining piece of vital information: the presence of a Tsunami Bass Sound System. For those still baring hesitation as to the actual impact of introducing a unique, self-selected system to carry out the night’s noises, there is but one thing to say: you have to hear it to believe it.

The enhancement of electronic music quality through updated and even customized sound systems is a very real one. This is a truth that holds even more firmly for bass music specifically. Certainly one could at least understand that systems preceding the inception of the dance genre were not prepared for such a expansion of audio range, as computer sound design was ground-breaking for the very fact that it could manipulate sound into forms never before discovered. This phenomenon meant the need for one of two things: a newly developed system built to carry that same diversity of sound; or a newly customized upgrade of a preexisting model. The result has been a non-stop arms race of audio technology, with sound engineers and technicians alike constantly making new headway while introducing new models for just about any and every specific intention you might desire.

For all intents and purposes of Winter Sermon, the Tsunami Bass team has assembled one of the most raucous, disconcerting, yet clean sound projectiles we could possibly ask for. In short: their reputation precedes them.

So is all that you see on the Sermon graphic all that you get? Absolutely not. The experience far exceeds what it advertises. The last point worth noting here is that Sermon relies on the good will and word of its patrons to build itself. A primarily word-of-mouth promotion model is, in the right scenario, just about the best one you can use. There is no unrelenting hype around Sermon; instead, it is the secret that everyone is trying to let their friends know about, while still doing their best to not lose that very same “secret” factor. So what else can you expect from Winter Sermon? You mean beside a disgustingly audible and clean bass system unlike you have ever heard before, topped off with one insane lineup willing to turn you inside out with glee? I guess you will just have to see for yourself- it is certainly encouraged. Come on, we all know secrets are fun!